The Best Thing I've Heard All Day
by aswanandapirate
Summary: After a fire burns down the library in Storybrooke, Hook catches up with Emma to tell her something. Fluff.


"Emma. I need to speak with you." Hook was running down Storybrooke's main street towards her in a half assed sort of running limp.

After a day like today, Emma wasn't ready for a heart-to-heart. Half the town had been burned down, and Jones wanted to talk _now_? "You can't be serious."

"I love you." he whispered, looking up at her as if she hung the moon, but she was too far away from him to catch what he said.

"This is not the time, Hook. Cora burned down the old library and half of the storefronts. Granny and Ruby are still missing. I'm the sheriff of this town and I need to go look for them." she turned around and started to walk in the direction of the burn site.

"Did you hear me?" Hook couldn't help himself. He had to share his realization with Emma.

"Look buddy, I usually have time to put up with your innuendos and your hungry eyes, but I'm busy right now." Emma rolled her eyes, continuing to walk away.

"I said 'I love you.'" he hollered, his declaration echoing throughout the empty street.

Emma stopped. She turned around and looked over at him, cursing her inability to look him in the eye. "WHAT? How can you love me? You don't even know me."

"Now that's where you're wrong, love." he said, walking towards her. "I know you better than you know yourself. We're alike, you and I."

"Oh really?" Emma scoffed, denying that what Hook said might have some truth."I don't seem to remember being the type of person who shoots innocent people and steals hearts."

"I'm still the man you met in Fairytale Land. I'm still the man who climbed a beanstalk with you and helped you defeat a giant. We learned more about each other up there than you're willing to admit. You know me better than anyone else." Hook took a deep breath and caught her eye. "I know I've made some mistakes since them, but I'm trying to change, Emma. Why do you think I saved Henry from the fire just now? I could have left him to get out himself and taken the opportunity to kill The Crocodile with this." he gestured to the dagger in his hand. It glinted menacingly in the moonlight.

"What is that thing?" Emma wasn't sure where the dirty knife came from, but she didn't like the looks of it.

"It's Rumplestiltskin's dagger. It's the only way to kill him. The catch is that whoever kills him becomes him, essentially, and I was willing to accept that fate in order to kill him until earlier." He looked down at the knife. "I was about to go kill him when I heard Henry yelling for help."

"You...you saved Henry? Why?" Emma's hands fidgeted, uncomfortable with where this conversation was going. Still, though, she wanted to know if Henry was okay.

"Well, first off, I really like that kid. He reminds me of myself when I was a lad. But more importantly, Emma, it was you. I saved him because, in that moment, I couldn't stop thinking about how heartbroken you would be if I didn't get him out of that building. That boy is your whole world, love, and I couldn't bear to think what would happen to you if you lost him." There was a loving look in his eyes when he looked at her, and the familiarity of it scared her. In that moment, Hook had looked just like Neal. Well, Neal before he broke her heart and sent her to prison.

"I almost lost him once. I can't-" Emma choked up, thinking of her little boy under the sleeping curse a few months ago. If it hadn't been for true love's kiss, he would have actually died. "I can't lose him again. Is he okay?"

"He's just fine, love. I left him with your parents. It's the first time I've been near them when they didn't glare at me as if they wanted me to catch the plague." Hook laughed, caught in the memory of her father kicking him out of Granny's the week before.

"Thank you. Thank you so much." She gave him a meaningful look and started to walk towards him, making sure not to trip on the debris strewn about.

Hook looked at Emma, then to the dagger in his hand, then back to Emma. He looked down, clenching his teeth as if he was struggling in some internal battle, then looked back up. Hook tossed the dagger to his left, in the direction of what remained of Gold's shop. "Don't think I'll be needing that anymore." He grinned and stumbled over to Emma, enveloping her in a hug.

"You're more than welcome. I would do anything for you and Henry. I hope you know that." he kissed her forehead and rubbed her back as the tears continued to slip down her face.

After a couple of minutes, Emma's tears were gone and she looked up for a second, then punched Hook in the arm. "Oi, love, what was that for?"

"How could you think that killing Gold was worth it? You almost threw your life away tonight. If he didn't kill you, you would have become just like him. Why would you want that?"

"The thoughts of a desperate man are hard to comprehend. I was hellbent on revenge. He took love out of my life and I was left with nothing but hate for three hundred years. When you're that obsessed for that long it's hard to think about anything else." The venom in his words faded. "But Emma, I want you to know that I'm not going to attack Gold anymore. I've had an awakening tonight. I have something to live for now."

Emma started to play with the hair at the nape of his neck. "And what's that? The wonderful cooking at Granny's diner?" She smiled up at him, eyes shining with mirth.

"No Emma. I'm living for love." He gave her a serious look. "I wasn't messing around before. I am totally-," he ghosted a finger across her cheek, "and completely," he looked down at her lips, "and desperately in love with you."

Emma smiled then, starting to understand the gravity of it all. "Hook, I'm not sure if what I'm feeling is love, but I do know that I haven't felt like this in over ten years, maybe ever. It started on the beanstalk, and if I'm honest with myself, the feeling hasn't ever stopped."

The look he gave her then could have melted the entire snowbank across the street. "That's not my name, Emma." he whispered, his face hovering only inches from hers.

"I know it's Killian, but I'm just used to saying-" the words died in her throat when his lips crashed down on hers.

The heat of their kiss rivaled the heat from the dying flames down the street. Emma moved her lips against Killian's and ran her hands through his hair. She had never felt this strongly about anyone. Maybe she did love him. Killian continued to kiss her hungrily, pouring all of his emotion into their locked lips. He had love again, possibly even true love, and he was terrified that it was a dream. His kiss was desperate, needing to confirm that Emma was here and she was real.

They finally broke the kiss and Killian continued to feather kisses down Emma's jaw. "I love you." he whispered in her her. "So much."

"I-" she started. "I think I might love you too." Emma looked up at him and smiled brightly with tears still shining in her eyes.

Killian bit his lip and cupped her cheek with his one hand. "That, my dear, is the best thing I've heard all day."


End file.
